Matsushima Park Hotel

MATSUSHIMA PARK HOTEL

recommend resolution over 800X600

Welcome to my website "Matsushima Park Hotel"!

Matsushima Park Hotel was designed for foreign visitors by architect Jan Letzel (1880-1925) of Czechoslovakia.
He is also known as the architect who designed the building called "Hiroshima A-bomb Dome".
In those days 1900-20's, Jan Letzel was known as a well known architect in Japan,
with office in Tokyo and Yokohama.
He specialized in the design of hotels, offices, colleges, and residences.
The Matsushima park Hotel was completed in August of the second year of the Taisho era (1913).
It is situated at the most commanding spot in Matsushima Bay, 24km from Sendai.
It was also the first resort hotel built in the Tohoku Area of Honshu.
Sukeyuki Terada was the governor of Miyagi Prefecture when the hotel was being built.
In February 1913, after the Project to make Matshushima the Prefecture's Park and tourist resort,
Sukeyuki Terada left Miyagi prefecture for his new post as the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture.
As Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, Terada commissioned Jan Letzel to design and build the Commercial Exhibition Hall.

The Park Hotel was planned as a high class European hotel. It was like the Guest House of Miyagi Prefecture.
The outside was built with lumber of Japanese-cypress (Hinoki), and looked like a Japanese temple.
The accommodations were European in style and originated from the Vienna Secession.
The basic plan was like a Butterfly-style that was fashionable in European villas then.
plan was Butterfly-Style that was fashionable mold of Europian villas at that time.
Its wings crossed each other at right angles, and opened to the bay, reminding one of a soaring waterfowl. Before WWII, Seiyoken (at Tsukiji Tokyo) rented the Park Hotel from Miyagi Prefecture as its branch hotel.
(Seiyoken is the most old-established restaurant in Japan, now the head office is at Ueno Tokyo)

On 16th September 1945 the Park Hotel was occupied by the US 11th Airborne Division commander for his home. After the occupation, Matsushima Park Hotel reopened for business as a hotel.
On March 2, 1969 the Park Hotel caught fire and burned down.

Please enjoy your virtual tour of the Matsushima Park Hotel.

From Document of the plan of Matsushima Park

Description of a Prefecture's Hotel

PARK HOTEL#1(seaside facade)
Building Area:over 120 square yards
Floors : Basement, 1st Floor (public), 2nd Floor (bed rooms), 3rd-4th Floor (center tower)
Outside Style: Japanese temple Style
every room has a french door to veranda(Nule-En) surrounded by red-handrail (Koh-Ran))
Frame Work : wooden frame (Shiraki-Tsukuri),with mechanism of supporting roof-weight (To-Kyou-Gumi)
Window Frame : fire-shape style (Katou-Gata : often used window-style in Japanese Buddhist temple)
Roof Style : Iri-Moya-tukuri (often used as roofs of Japanese temples and shrines)
Center Tower : equipped with a lightning rod as 9Weels-Buddhist-Tower (Ku-Rin) style.

PARK HOTEL#2 (north side view)
(SPACIFICATION OF BASEMENT for backyard)
4 boys-room , a supplies-room , a stock-room
a main-kitchen , a sub-kitchen , a boiler-room
a groceries-room , a bath-room , 3 toilet-room

PARK HOTEL#3 (mountside facade)
second level : 14 bedrooms
third level : a bed-viewing room)
fourth level : a viewing room

PARK HOTEL#4 (dining rooms)
2 dining rooms, large one and small one
Floor : trimmed with oak and Zelkova
Ceiling : trimmed with painted and embossed-iron-sheet
Seating Capacity : 70 persons

PARK HOTEL#5 (bed rooms)
inner-wall : made with plaster
outer-wall : made with yellow plaster
Equipments : steamheater-watercooler
Bed Room Capacity : 14 bedrooms , 24 persons, addition a bed-viweing room

PARK HOTEL#6 (library)
PARK HOTEL#7 (bar and billiard room)
PARK HOTEL#8 (kitchen)
GREEN HOUSE
situated at the north end of Park Hotel's site. width is 9 yards and depth is 12 yards.

Is this a prototype? Froidenberg house in Berlin
(designed by Herman Muthesius 1908)

The Drawing of Park Hotel

the floor plan of 4th floor of Park Hotel
the floor plan of 3rd floor of Park Hotel
the floor plan of 2nd floor for bed rooms of Park Hotel
the celing plan of 2nd floor of Park Hotel
the floor plan of 1st floor of Park Hotel
the celing plan of 1st floor of Park Hotel
the floor plan of basement of Park Hotel
the sectional plan of basement of Park Hotel　
the elavation plan of Park Hotel
the layout plan of Park Hotel

Photographs while Park Hotel still exsisted

Jan Letzel in Matsushima
the back row left to right : Jan Letzel, Masataka Mori (Governer of Miyagi), Shigetake Kitamura (Owner of Seiyoken)
(Masataka Mori was successor of former governor Sukeyuki Terada)
the front row : Officers of Prefecture office)
Map of Matsushima Kaigan (1928)
Park Hotel and a sailing boat
Park Hotel and Matsushima Theater
Girl Students from Australia (1935)
The Inspecting Party of education from United States (1937)
The International Inspecting Party(1937)
Women Teachers in tour from U.S. and Canada(behind is New Park Hotel) (1939)
New Park Hotel was opened in March of 1939 but it was broken by a fire in January of 1940.
New Park Hotel was designed by Teitaro Takahashi, he also designed The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
(former Imperial Hotel was designed by F.L.Wright)

The New Park Hotel (left) and Old Park Hotel (right)
The New Park Hotel in winter (1)
The New Park Hotel in winter (2)
The New Park Hotel in winter (3)
Who should know, it was the first and the last winter for the New Park Hotel?

After World War II

Novenber In 1945 Matsushima Park Hotel was occupied by U.S. 11th Airborne Troops.
and it was used as lodgings for brigadier general Dohn and his colleagues till 1951.
Park Hotel was repainted and the lounge of southwing was equipped a fireplace. The same way,Large Hotels at Matsushima-Kaigan was used as lodgings for U.S. soldiers.

After the occupation by the U.S.Army, Matsushima Park Hotel reopened for business.
But very regretfully it was burned down by fire in 3rd March 1969.

from "Diary in Japan" (Nippon Nikki) authored by Mark Gaine

After U.S. occupation
Park Hotel was equipped with a chimney and fireplace by U.S. Army (Photo by Mr. A.W. Lincoln)

Mr. A.W. Lincoln's website about Sendai and Matsushima.

The lightning rod (Ku-Rin) had been broken down by small fire before.

The view of Matsushima Kaigan avenue

the Showa-Emperor's arrival
a round dance by women, and Emperor and Empress taking a walk
a round dance by women (a)
a round dance by women (b)
a souvenir picture after the welcoming ceremony
Mr. Itoh the mayor of Matsushima and the wemen society
At that Welcoming ceremony, folk songs "Tairyo Utaikomi","Matsushima Shohgai" and "Matsushima Jink" were played.

The Emperor watched the rising moon and stayed for a while in the center tower of the hotel that night.

The Emperor made a poem. (its transration into English) I looked the moon out over in a spring night,
the waves were shadowed by islets in the bay.

The south side view (1960)

Matsushima zoo was beside the hotel

An old pamphlet of Park Hotel

(This pamphlet was got from an Auction in Australia)
The original pamphlet of Park Hotel (1)
The original pamphlet of Park Hotel (2)
The original pamphlet of Park Hotel (3)
The original pamphlet of Park Hotel (4)

(This pamphlet was sold by an American collector)

The pamphlet of New Park Hotel in 1939(1)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel in 1939(2)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel in 1939(3)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel in 1939(4)

Mr. Fuse's website 'Lost Japanese Hotel', he offered the images of above these pamphlets.

(This pamphlet was offered by Mr. YoshiIchi Kazusa living in Matsushima.)

The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (1)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (2)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (3)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (4)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (5)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (6)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (7)
The pamphlet of New Park Hotel for domestic use (8)

Description on guide book 'TOHOKU'
(published by Japan Tourist Bureau in 1963)

Information of Park Hotel

telephone number	103
how to go	5minutes fron Matsushima-Kaigan Station Map of Matsushima-Kaigan
rooms	13 (European Style)
bed capacity	26
hotel charge	1200yen - 4000yen

Amusement near the Park Hotel in 1963

Matsushima zoo (The Matsushima zoo had been gone a long time.）

charge	adult:50yen, highschool-student:40yen, juvenile:30yen, discountable for group
opens	8:00 - 17:00
trait	over 60 kinds animals There are Tigers,elephants,sealions,beautiful peacocks, various amusement for children, trains, Ferris weel, airplanes, scooters, electric-cars

Matsushima Aquarium (Now It is running as Marinepia Matsushima)

charge	adult:30yen,child:15yen (Now adult/high-school:1400yen, juvenile:700yen, less3age350yen)
opens	March--December (Now It runs all season)
trait	over 90 kinds of fishes in Matsushima Bay and over 80 kinds oftropical fishes.in addition laboratories,play ground.very fun! (Now It was completely extended.)

the gate of Matsushima Aquarium (since foundation 1927)

The Park Hotel was burn down

People in Matsushima were shocked and disappointed.
The center tower and the roofs were completery broken.
The fire started in the boiler room at 23:00 2nd March in 1969, and continued untill 3:00 next morning.

What has remained of the Park Hotel?

Building was completely removed and where it once stood is now a lawn.
But some fragments of roof tiles and slate boards were founded.

Epilogue

This website was made as a Memorial of Matsushima Park Hotel.
About 90 years ago this hotel was built in the center of Matsushima Park in Miyagi Prefecture Japan.
It was designed by the European architect Jan Letzel as the symbol of Matsushima Park.
We wish the Park Hotel will be remembered by many people and it shall be restored some day.

Thank you very much for visiting my Web site!

Please send your email to pearlh@vesta.ocn.ne.jp

Retun to Top Page